I'll Never Do That Again

Next weekend, we have company coming.  This may not be a startling fact until you realize that WH has been remodeling the guest bathroom since Thanksgiving.  He actually is a wonderful craftsman, but quick? - not so much!

Anyway, I started out the weekend with the thought that I really needed to clean house.  Having the bathroom "under construction" for so long has provided all the justification I needed to neglect the cleaning and spend more time sewing.  I did, in fact, get some cleaning done.  But in the process of trying to tidy up my sewing room (it is just too small to call it a "studio"), I decided that since Monday is quilt guild night, if I got these two MIAGIA quilts finished, quilts that were already sandwiched and pin-basted, it would get them out of the basket and make the room tidier.  Makes sense, right?

Last quilt guild night, one of the ladies mentioned that MIAGIA quilts are a great project to use to practice new techniques.   "What  a great idea!" I thought.  I had already tried (definitely not mastered, you understand, but tried) the FMQ meandering stipple, so I decided to try the stippled pebbles.  BIG MISTAKE!!  I used up an entire 850 meter spool of Guitermann thread, about half a spool of serger thread, at least 25 bobbins, and about 6 hours.  NOT what I had in mind.  And worst of all, I really don't like the way it looks.  It could be my technique, but nevertheless, i won't be doing that again.

The good news is that both MIAGIA quilts are now quilted.  The bad news is that I'm too tired tonight to bind them, so the chances of them being done in time for the quilt guild meeting tomorrow night are slim.  Ah well, maybe next month.

Progress on the MIAGIA Crazy 9-Patch Quilt Top, Mini QT Received, and Other Updates

These blocks have been haunting my dreams, and yesterday morning I woke up with an urgent need to work on this quilt top. A few days ago, I asked for advice on colors to sash these  blocks made with random donated fabrics.  I got some great comments, both on Flickr and on my blog post.  One wonderful reader actually took my block post and magically (using a new Flickr tool I don't understand quite yet) placed my blocks in various colored sashing so I could see what it looked like.  You can find her photo here.  How cool is that?  I was really drawn to the blue/aqua photo, but I just couldn't quite commit...  Until Mrs. Darling and Sister of the Divide both suggested in my blog comments that I use both.  Aha!  That was the inspiration I was waiting for.

And it's been bugging me ever since.

I have never done cornerstones before and was puzzling it out in my mind when I went to bed night before last (in the middle of a crazy-wild thunderstorm, I might add) and when I woke up, I wanted to sew in the worst way.  Sadly, it had to wait until I got home from work.  I have other projects with deadlines, but this is the one that I chose to work on.  I still have sashing to add to two sides, and then I think it needs some borders to make it a more usable size, although it might make an OK kid's quilt the way it is.  Still, I think I'll add at least one border to tie the whole thing together.  There is still a LOT of that argyle print left.  Doesn't really go with my aqua/orange sashing, but it IS in almost every quilt block.

I've got to get to work on my Make Mine Modern project.  You send your secret partner 1-1/2 yards of fabric you think she'll like plus an item to decorate their sewing room and a handmade item.  I've pretty much known what I wanted  to do for my partner for weeks, but I just can't make myself sit down and do it.  Now I'm wondering why.  Anyway, I'm down to the wire - the deadline to mail is April 15, so I've got to get moving.  And BD #2 will be home next week, and I know I'll be distracted, so I had better get this done.

 In other news, I received my 3-D Mini QT quiltie from my partner, Valery Anne.  It's adorable.  It's stamped, painted, stitched and beaded, with great embellishments, like felt leaves and star buttons, and a cute hand-painted (?) birdie.  Great work!  I have a little wall space in my sewing room and I'm going to make it a home there.

I hope she gets my creation soon, because I'm excited to share.  I think it just might be my most creative work yet.  I showed it to a co-worker, and she commissioned one for herself, so I'm pretty excited about that.

I'm not sure how I managed it, because I really thought I had signed up for the next round, but I must have been delusional, because I actually REMEMBER signing up, but apparently I did not.  So I'm sitting out this round, which is probably OK, since I'm doing several other swaps and I have several quilt tops I want to finish. 

But alas, now it is time to go to work.  TTFN!

Where Did The Weekend Go?

I'm not sure how this happens, but one minute it was Friday, and the next it was Monday morning.  I think weekends exist in some kind of time warp.  It's kind of scary, how fast this past weekend went by.

The weekend was fairly productive.  I made some more of those fun little hexie needlebooks, and gave them all away.  Time to make one for me, I think.  And next month, the Guild is having a Jumble sale.  I might make a few to try to sell there.  I also have some projects to finish up that I might finish to sell.  And there is a ton of stuff in the garage that I will never use in my lifetime.  I think I'll take some of that and see how it does.  Meanwhile...

My Mini QT quiltie is well on its way to being complete.  Just a few more little details, and another trip to JoAnn's to pick up a package of buttons that somehow didn't make it into my bag when I was there last night.  That's kind of frustrating.  I think my little quiltie is going to turn out cute.  I hope my partner, Valery Anne likes it.  I can't show the details here until she receives it, so stay tuned....

Last Monday, I came home with this bag of random fabrics from MIAGIA night for the Pensacola Quilter's Guild.  In it was a random selection of fabrics sorted mostly by color.  There was one large piece and a few fat quarters, some leftover borders and a couple of random half yards.  I have to say that there was maybe one fabric I would actually have purchased if I had been choosing fabrics.  And the colors weren't anything I would have chosen either.  I almost asked for a different bag of fabrics, but I decided that part of the challenge of the thing would be to create a quilt outside my comfort zone.

Here is what the bag contained:

So, since I had reached an impasse with my Mini QT, after working on it for most of a day, I pulled out the bag to see what was there, and the fabric started to speak to me.  It was interesting because what it ended up being was not at all what I thought I was going to do when I picked up the rotary cutter.  I was actually thinking I was going to attempt a shoo fly quilt with these.

Apparently, the fabric had other ideas, because this is what it became:

I only added a couple of pieces from my stash to round it out.  The Guild will provide the batting, and I have some leftover sheet pieces for the backing, so I'll finish it next month.  I thought this turned out to be a pretty attractive quilt.  Kind of masculine, which is sometimes hard to achieve.  It was actually a great exercise, and proves that even the most uninspiring fabrics can become an attractive quilt.

By the time the next MIAGIA night comes around, I'll probably have the second quilt top done.  I have the pieces cut for the blocks.  I wanted to try Elizabeth Hartmann's wonky 9-patch with a selection of fabrics, rather than the monochromatic palette I have seen used in the past, so this is my chance.  In fact, I've decided that these MIAGIA kits are going to be my "test kitchen" to try new things.  More to follow.

So, the weekend is OVER and it's back to the old grind.   I have several projects I hope to finish and mail this week in addition to my mini quilt - the Make Mine Modern fabric swap and sewing item (oh, I have the funnest idea for this - I hope it turns out like I think it will!), and several sets of Bee blocks.  Time to get cracking!

Make-It-And-Give-It-Away

I recently joined the Pensacola Quilter's Guild.  I have mostly been a lurker - I haven't done any show and tell at all - but last night on the way home from work my alarm on my phone went off.  It was to remind me that the 3rd Monday is MIAGIA Monday.  What's that,you ask?  MIAGIA stands for Make It And Give It Away.  It is one of the charity efforts of the Guild.  I didn't bring my machine, and I wasn't feeling all that well, but I was feeling a little guilty that I haven't participated in any of the charity efforts so far, so I stopped in and asked if they had any kits.  Well, they didn't have any kits, but they did have a couple of bags full of fabric that had been loosely sorted by color, such as the one above.

This is what was in it...

Some of it would actually go pretty well with the fabric for the ugly quilt fabric in my previous post - in fact, I may combine them.  Some of it has real possibilities.  I really like the paisley (3rd from left, top row) and the argyle/jester fabric on the end of the top row.  I haven't opened the roll yet to see what's inside, but the outside has spiders on it.  (My favorite!)  

Intriguing, no?

This morning I was blog hopping, and I saw this post.

This may be just the thing for this bunch of fabric.  What do you think.  Easy and beautiful.  Just my style.